Territoriale (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 22, Polynesian
Liberation Front 10, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 24 September 1989
(next to be held NA September 1998); results--percent of vote by
party--NA; seats by party--UC 1; two seats were elected to the French
National Assembly on 25 May--1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002);
results--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--People's Rally
for the Republic (Gaullist) 2
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the
First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of
Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif
Political parties and leaders: People's Rally for the Republic
Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), FZ,
ICFTU, SPC, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory
of France)
Flag description: two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide
white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white
wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the
upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave
pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions
Economy
Economy--overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military
personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a
subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work
force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist
industry. Tourism accounts for about 20% of GDP and is a primary
source of hard currency earnings. The small manufacturing sector
primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefited
from a five-year (1994-98) development agreement with France aimed
principally at creating new jobs.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$2.6 billion (1997 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$10,800 (1997 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 18%
services: 78% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1994)
Labor force: 118,744 (of which 70,044 are employed) (1988)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 19%,
services 68% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $652 million
expenditures: $613 million, including capital expenditures of $155
million (1996)
Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: 350 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 57.14%
hydro: 42.86%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 350 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits;
poultry, beef, dairy products
Exports: $212 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Exports--commodities: cultured pearls 53.8%, coconut products,
mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat (1992)
Exports--partners: France 33%, US 8.5% (1994)
Imports: $860 million (c.i.f., 1996)
Imports--commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, equipment
Imports--partners: France 44.7%, US 13.9% (1994)
Debt--external: $NA
Economic aid--recipient: $450.4 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (CFPF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per
US$1--102.72 (January 1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00
(1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.94 (1994); note--linked at the rate of
18.18 to the French franc
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 33,200 (1983 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 2, shortwave 0
Radios: 116,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (in addition, there are 17
low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 35,000 (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 792 km
paved: 792 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Mataura, Papeete, Rikitea, Uturoa
Merchant marine:
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,240 GRT/7,765 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1
(1998 est.)
Airports: 45 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 5 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 11 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: French Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air
Force), Gendarmerie
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
======================================================================
@French Southern and Antarctic Lands
-----------------------------------
Geography
Location: south of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean,
about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia;
note--French Southern and Antarctic Lands includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile
Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian
Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie
Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land"
Geographic coordinates: 43 00 S, 67 00 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 7,781 sq km
land: 7,781 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet and Iles
Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in
Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
Area--comparative: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of
Delaware
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,232 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen only
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: volcanic
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Ross on Ile Kerguelen 1,850 m
Natural resources: fish, crayfish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct
volcanoes
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography--note: remote location in the southern Indian Ocean
People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: in 1997 there were about 100 researchers whose numbers vary
from winter (July) to summer (January)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and
Antarctic Lands
conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands
local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques
Francaises
local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
Data code: FS
Dependency status: overseas territory of France since 1955;
administered from Paris by a high commissioner of the Republic
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France);
there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the
US Government, but there are 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles
Kerguelen, and Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes "Adelie Land"
claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory
of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Economy
Economy--overview: Economic activity is limited to servicing
meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and
other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by
foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.
Budget:
revenues: $19 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine:
total: 66 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,201,120 GRT/3,832,935
DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 7, chemical tanker 10, container 9,
liquefied gas tanker 6, oil tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 2,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 10 (1998 est.)
Airports: none
Military
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica is not
recognized by the US
======================================================================
@Gabon
-----
Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the
Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 267,670 sq km
land: 257,670 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km,
Equatorial Guinea 350 km
Coastline: 885 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east
and south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
Natural resources: petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber,
iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 77%
other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment--current issues: deforestation; poaching
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
Population: 1,225,853 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 205,076; female 205,198)
15-64 years: 61% (male 376,181; female 370,479)
65 years and over: 6% (male 34,078; female 34,841) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.48% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 27.89 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 13.07 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 83.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.98 years
male: 53.98 years
female: 60.08 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.77 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese
Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings
(Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), other Africans and Europeans
154,000, including 6,000 French and 11,000 persons of dual
nationality
Religions: Christian 55%-75%, Muslim less than 1%, animist
Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke,
Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2%
male: 73.7%
female: 53.3% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon
local long form: Republique Gabonaise
local short form: Gabon
Data code: GB
Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime
(opposition parties legalized 1990)
Capital: Libreville
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue,
Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo,
Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 17 August (1960) (Gabon
granted full independence from France)
Constitution: adopted 14 March 1991
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the
Supreme Court; compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Francois NTOUTOUME-EMANE
(since 23 January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO reelected; percent of
vote--El Hadj Omar BONGO 66%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 17%, Fr. Paul
M'BA-ABESSOLE 13%
Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate
(91 seats) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120
seats); members are elected by direct popular vote to serve
five-year terms
elections: National Assembly--last held in December 1996 (next to be
held NA December 2001); Senate--last held 12 January 1997 (next to be
held in January 2002)
election results: National Assembly--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--PDG 100, Morena-Bucherons/RNB 8, PUP 3, CLR 3, FAR 1,
UPG 1, USG 2, PGP 2; Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--PDG 51, RNB 17, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, others 15
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of
three chambers--Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts;
Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security;
County Courts
Political parties and leaders: African Forum for Reconstruction
NA]
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURCA, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UDEAC,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James V. LEDESMA
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
yellow, and blue
Economy
Economy--overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times
that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a
sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet because of high income
inequality a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon
depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore
in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP.
Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber,
manganese, and uranium exports. Despite the abundance of natural
wealth, the economy is hobbled by poor fiscal management. In 1992,
the fiscal deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP, and Gabon failed to
settle arrears on its bilateral debt, leading to a cancellation of
rescheduling agreements with official and private creditors.
Devaluation of its Francophone currency by 50% on 12 January 1994
sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to
6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in
1994-95 and a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near
commercial rates beginning in late 1995. Those agreements mandate
progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided
additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon had met IMF
targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized
the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing
from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for
privatization and administrative reform. Growth in 1999 will depend
mainly on how world oil prices move.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$7.7 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 1.7% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,400 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 67%
services: 25% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1998 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry and
commerce, services
Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $302
million (1996 est.)
Industries: food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood;
cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and
gold mining; chemicals; ship repair
Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (1995)
Electricity--production: 930 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 22.04%
hydro: 77.96%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 930 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber;
cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish
Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: crude oil 81%, timber 12%, manganese 5%,
uranium (1996)
Exports--partners: US 67%, China 9%, France 8%, Japan 3% (1997)
Imports: $890 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs,
chemicals, petroleum products, construction materials
Imports--partners: France 38%, US 8%, Cameroon 5%, Netherlands 4%,
Cote d'Ivoire, Japan (1997)
Debt--external: $4.1 billion (1997)
Economic aid--recipient: $331 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1--577.61 (January 1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55
(1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 22,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a
domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 6, shortwave 0
Radios: 250,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (in addition, there are five
low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 40,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 649 km Gabon State Railways (OCTRA)
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single track (1994)
Highways:
total: 7,670 km
paved: 629 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,041 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 1,600 km perennially navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km
Ports and harbors: Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville,
Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,613 GRT/22,599 DWT
(1998 est.)
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 62 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 52
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 26 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard
(charged with protecting the president and other senior officials),
National Gendarmerie, National Police
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 280,719 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 144,133 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 11,392 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $91 million (1996)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.6% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial
Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
======================================================================
@Gambia, The
-----------
Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and
Senegal
Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 16 34 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 11,300 sq km
land: 10,000 sq km
water: 1,300 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Delaware
Land boundaries:
total: 740 km
border countries: Senegal 740 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler,
dry season (November to May)
Terrain: flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 53 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 45% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 150 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years
Environment--current issues: deforestation; desertification;
water-borne diseases prevalent
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on
the continent of Africa
People
Population: 1,336,320 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 305,839; female 304,905)
15-64 years: 52% (male 341,947; female 348,163)
65 years and over: 2% (male 18,706; female 16,760) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.35% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 42.76 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 12.57 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 75.33 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.39 years
male: 52.02 years
female: 56.83 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.83 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Gambian(s)
adjective: Gambian
Ethnic groups: African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%,
Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1%
Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other
indigenous vernaculars
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38.6%
male: 52.8%
female: 24.9% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia
Data code: GA
Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Banjul
Administrative divisions: 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Lower
River, MacCarthy Island, North Bank, Upper River, Western
note: it has been reported but not verified that the name of the
MacCarthy Island division has been changed to Central River